US3971932A - Apparatus for enhancing the long wavelength response of photodetectors - Google Patents

Apparatus for enhancing the long wavelength response of photodetectors Download PDF

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Publication number
US3971932A
US3971932A US05/528,806 US52880674A US3971932A US 3971932 A US3971932 A US 3971932A US 52880674 A US52880674 A US 52880674A US 3971932 A US3971932 A US 3971932A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
wavelength
energy
photodetection apparatus
electromagnetic energy
conversion means
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US05/528,806
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English (en)
Inventor
Kenneth G. Sewell
William B. Volz
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Varo Inc
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Varo Inc
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Varo Inc filed Critical Varo Inc
Priority to US05/528,806 priority Critical patent/US3971932A/en
Priority to GB48091/75A priority patent/GB1511010A/en
Priority to DE19752553564 priority patent/DE2553564A1/de
Priority to BE165065A priority patent/BE839447A/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3971932A publication Critical patent/US3971932A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J29/00—Details of cathode-ray tubes or of electron-beam tubes of the types covered by group H01J31/00
    • H01J29/02—Electrodes; Screens; Mounting, supporting, spacing or insulating thereof
    • H01J29/10—Screens on or from which an image or pattern is formed, picked up, converted or stored
    • H01J29/36—Photoelectric screens; Charge-storage screens
    • H01J29/38—Photoelectric screens; Charge-storage screens not using charge storage, e.g. photo-emissive screen, extended cathode
    • H01J29/385—Photocathodes comprising a layer which modified the wave length of impinging radiation

Definitions

  • This invention relates generally to photodetection apparatus and more particularly to means for providing such apparatus with acuity regarding relatively long wavelength light.
  • Sensitivity that is, the ability to develop useful information from weak signals
  • the photodetectors of the prior art display decreasing spectral sensitivity at regions away from the wavelength of peak spectral sensitivity.
  • An example of this is found in military night vision equipment which can sense and provide an image of a target weakly illuminated by ambient or by a conventional infrared searchlight but which cannot "see,” or may even be damaged by, incident infrared laser light.
  • a more general object of the invention is to provide new and improved photodetection apparatus.
  • a more specific object of the invention is to provide night vision equipment having laser sensitivity.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic view of photodetection apparatus constructed in compliance with the present invention and including an image intesifier tube;
  • FIG. 2 is a central sectional view of an energy converter constructed for use in the photodetection apparatus of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a modified form of the energy converter of the invention.
  • Apparatus 10 comprises a photosensor 12 which takes the form of a conventional image intensifier tube, a collecting lens 14, and an energy converter 16 which is disposed between the collecting lens 14 and the photosensor 12.
  • the energy converter 16 is mounted on the photosensor 12 in optically coupled relationship by means of an annular bead 18 of a suitable cement or adhesive.
  • the image intensifier tube which comprises the photosensor 12 includes a fiber optic faceplate 20 and a layer 22 of photoemissive material deposited on the inner surface of the faceplate 20 to form a photocathode. Radiation from a target area is shown by the lines 24 and 26; and this incident radiation is collected as an image by the lens 14, this image being ultimately coupled through the fiber optic faceplate 20 onto the photocathode 22 which emits electrons in quantities determined by its own spectral sensitivity and the wavelengths of the received radiation. The electrons emitted by the photocathode 22 are focused by means of an electron optics device 28 onto a screen 30 of phosphor material.
  • an accelerating voltage from a power supply 32 is applied between the screen 30 and the photocathode 22 to increase the energy of the flowing electrons.
  • Power supplies having a nominal accelerating potential of 15 kilovolts are useful for this purpose.
  • the electrons from photocathode 22 which strike the screen 30 excite the phosphor material producing optical photons; and these photons are coupled out of the image intensifier tube by means of a fiber optics bundle 34 upon which the screen 30 is deposited.
  • the intensified optical image at the exit of the fiber optics bundle 34 may be further amplified, viewed directly, or processed by a number of standard means.
  • the photosensor which comprises the image intensifier tube includes a housing or envelope 36 which properly positions the faceplate 20, the photocathode 22, the electron optics 28, the screen 30, and the fiber optics bundle 34.
  • the spectral sensitivity As measured in microamperes per watt, has a maximum value corresponding to a wavelength of about 0.66 microns.
  • the spectral sensitivity of such a photocathode decreases rapidly with increasing wavelength, and such a photocathode is generally considered insensitive to wavelengths greater than 0.950 microns.
  • the energy converter 16 This latter device is arranged to receive electromagnetic energy of wavelengths longer than those to which the photocathode 22 is sensitive and to emit, in response thereto, electromagnetic energy at a wavelength to which the photocathode 22 is normally usefully sensitive.
  • the energy converter 16 is arranged to be susbstantially optically transparent to radiation wavelengths within the sensitivity range of the photocathode in order to take full advantage of the overall information gathering capabilities of the photodetection device 10.
  • the energy converter 16 of the invention is constructed as illustrated in FIG. 2.
  • a layer 38 of emitting material is sandwiched between an optically transparent window 40 and a fiber optics disc 42. These three elements are then hermetically sealed in a container 44.
  • An eminently useful material for the layer 38 is a polycrystalline lanthanum neodymium chloride prepared from a melt by vapor deposition and having the typical formula of La 1 -x Nd x Cl 3 wherein x varies between 0.01 and 1.0.
  • a preferred form of this salt has the formula La 0 .8 Nd 0 .2 Cl 3 .
  • This preferred material absorbs radiation in the 1.06 micron wavelength region and re-emits at the 0.873 micron wavelength region, the latter wavelength being within the useful spectral sensitivity of an S-20 photocathode.
  • a dielectric filter 46 is disposed axially rearwardly of the fiber optics disc 42 and generally between the incident rays and the faceplate of the image intensifier tube 12.
  • the dielectric filter 46 is fabricated from such materials as thorium oxide and silicon oxide in order to block the passage of 1.06 micron radiations which are not absorbed in the emitting material of layer 38 while passing electromagnetic energy radiations of shorter wavelengths.
  • the present invention employs a material for the layer 38 which absorbs electromagnetic radiation at one wavelength and re-emits it at a shorter wavelength. Most materials that absorb and re-radiate energy re-radiate at wavelengths which are longer than those absorbed. As a consequence, only certain materials are useful for layer 38 in the present invention.
  • neodymium atom there are four lanthanum atoms and 15 chloride atoms; and for electrical balance, both the neodymium and lanthanum atoms exist in the +3 oxidation state, that is, the state in which three electrons are missing from the atomic configuration.
  • the neodymium atoms form the active media for energy conversion while the lanthanum and chloride atoms form an inert host.
  • the preferred lanthanum neodymium chloride is hygroscopic and must be protected from atmospheric moisture by hermetic sealing in the container 44.
  • image intensifier tube 12 functions in the conventional manner; and in addition, the incident 1.06 micron wavelength radiation is absorbed in the active material of layer 38 and has been found to induce a transition from the Y level or second highest energy state of the neodymium atoms to the R level, ambient temperatures developing useful populations in the Y level for purposes of the present invention.
  • a subsequent transition to the S level may be induced by thermal interaction with the atomic lattice, by energy matches between the higher level energy states and the 1.06 micron wavelength radiations and by ion-ion interaction.
  • the excited states i.e.
  • the emitted photons comprising the output signal of layer 38 to be coupled to the photocathode 22.
  • the present system is unusual in that the emitted photons are of shorter wavelength and therefore greater energy than the exciting radiation.
  • neodymium many hosts for the active converter material may be employed; and it has been found that energy absorption and fluorescence of neodymium occurs in such hosts as silica glass, yttrium aluminum garnet, calcium fluoride, yttrium aluminum oxide and others.
  • certain other rare earths may be employed as the active material in addition to neodymium; and these include salts of praseodymium, holmium, erbium, and dysprosium.
  • the energy converting layer 38 may, where required, additionally include minor amounts of compounds of such transition metals as iron and yttrium in the positively charged, trivalent or divalent state. These "active impurities" coact in the transfer of energy in the primary active material, the rare earth atoms. The included minor quantities of such transition metal compounds absorb energy and then transfer it to the rare earth atoms which then re-emit the energy at a shorter wavelength as described hereinabove.
  • the energy converter 16a of FIG. 3 is characterized by the inclusion of a second layer 48 incorporating emitting material as well as a corresponding dielectric filter 50.
  • the layer 48 employs holmium in the +3 oxidation state contained in a suitable host substance.
  • the activity of the holmium atoms in the layer 48 is similar to that of the neodymium atoms in the layer 38 except that the former absorb incident radiation at the 1.65 micron wavelength and emit converted electromagnetic energy at a second, shorter wavelength.
  • the dielectric filter 50 is arranged to block unabsorbed radiations at the 1.65 micron wavelength level and to pass shorter wavelengths.

Landscapes

  • Photometry And Measurement Of Optical Pulse Characteristics (AREA)
  • Image-Pickup Tubes, Image-Amplification Tubes, And Storage Tubes (AREA)
  • Luminescent Compositions (AREA)
US05/528,806 1974-12-02 1974-12-02 Apparatus for enhancing the long wavelength response of photodetectors Expired - Lifetime US3971932A (en)

Priority Applications (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US05/528,806 US3971932A (en) 1974-12-02 1974-12-02 Apparatus for enhancing the long wavelength response of photodetectors
GB48091/75A GB1511010A (en) 1974-12-02 1975-11-21 Photodetection apparatus
DE19752553564 DE2553564A1 (de) 1974-12-02 1975-11-28 Vorrichtung zur verbesserung der langwelligen empfindlichkeit von fotodetektoren
BE165065A BE839447A (fr) 1974-12-02 1976-03-11 Dispositif de photodetection

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US05/528,806 US3971932A (en) 1974-12-02 1974-12-02 Apparatus for enhancing the long wavelength response of photodetectors

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3971932A true US3971932A (en) 1976-07-27

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US05/528,806 Expired - Lifetime US3971932A (en) 1974-12-02 1974-12-02 Apparatus for enhancing the long wavelength response of photodetectors

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US3971932A (fr)
BE (1) BE839447A (fr)
DE (1) DE2553564A1 (fr)
GB (1) GB1511010A (fr)

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO1985000465A1 (fr) * 1983-07-08 1985-01-31 Varian Associates, Inc. Tube intensificateur d'image a rapport de contraste accru
US4538089A (en) * 1983-11-02 1985-08-27 North American Philips Corporation Green luminescent cathode-ray tube device with improved color filtering system
US4547699A (en) * 1982-12-27 1985-10-15 North American Philips Corporation Green luminescing cathode-ray tube device
US4891507A (en) * 1988-12-09 1990-01-02 Quantex Corporation Apparatus for extending the infrared response of photocathodes
US4900708A (en) * 1981-09-18 1990-02-13 General Electric Company Ortho-alkylation catalysts based on magnesium and prepared by calcining in presence of feed mixture of reactants
US5336899A (en) * 1992-11-24 1994-08-09 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army Adjustable near infrared rangefinder illuminator
US20050161703A1 (en) * 2004-01-23 2005-07-28 Intevac, Inc. Wavelength extension for backthinned silicon image arrays
US11460590B2 (en) 2017-08-03 2022-10-04 The Research Foundation For The State University Of New York Dual-screen digital radiography with asymmetric reflective screens

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3213308A (en) * 1961-11-29 1965-10-19 Westinghouse Electric Corp Ultraviolet radiation detector
US3569763A (en) * 1966-02-14 1971-03-09 Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co Multilayer photoconductive device having adjacent layers of different spectral response
US3663821A (en) * 1969-03-11 1972-05-16 Jack Finkle Image intensifier device and method for receiving radiant energy images for conversion and intensification
US3800194A (en) * 1972-04-07 1974-03-26 Hitachi Ltd Photoconductive target of an image tube
US3870921A (en) * 1973-09-24 1975-03-11 Xerox Corp Image intensifier tube with improved photoemitter surface

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3213308A (en) * 1961-11-29 1965-10-19 Westinghouse Electric Corp Ultraviolet radiation detector
US3569763A (en) * 1966-02-14 1971-03-09 Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co Multilayer photoconductive device having adjacent layers of different spectral response
US3663821A (en) * 1969-03-11 1972-05-16 Jack Finkle Image intensifier device and method for receiving radiant energy images for conversion and intensification
US3800194A (en) * 1972-04-07 1974-03-26 Hitachi Ltd Photoconductive target of an image tube
US3870921A (en) * 1973-09-24 1975-03-11 Xerox Corp Image intensifier tube with improved photoemitter surface

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4900708A (en) * 1981-09-18 1990-02-13 General Electric Company Ortho-alkylation catalysts based on magnesium and prepared by calcining in presence of feed mixture of reactants
US4547699A (en) * 1982-12-27 1985-10-15 North American Philips Corporation Green luminescing cathode-ray tube device
WO1985000465A1 (fr) * 1983-07-08 1985-01-31 Varian Associates, Inc. Tube intensificateur d'image a rapport de contraste accru
US4550251A (en) * 1983-07-08 1985-10-29 Varian Associates, Inc. Image intensifier tube with increased contrast ratio
US4538089A (en) * 1983-11-02 1985-08-27 North American Philips Corporation Green luminescent cathode-ray tube device with improved color filtering system
US4891507A (en) * 1988-12-09 1990-01-02 Quantex Corporation Apparatus for extending the infrared response of photocathodes
EP0373001A1 (fr) * 1988-12-09 1990-06-13 Quantex Corporation Appareil pour étendre la réponse infrarouge de cathodes photovoltaiques
US5336899A (en) * 1992-11-24 1994-08-09 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army Adjustable near infrared rangefinder illuminator
US20050161703A1 (en) * 2004-01-23 2005-07-28 Intevac, Inc. Wavelength extension for backthinned silicon image arrays
US6943425B2 (en) 2004-01-23 2005-09-13 Intevac, Inc. Wavelength extension for backthinned silicon image arrays
US11460590B2 (en) 2017-08-03 2022-10-04 The Research Foundation For The State University Of New York Dual-screen digital radiography with asymmetric reflective screens

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BE839447A (fr) 1976-07-01
GB1511010A (en) 1978-05-17
DE2553564A1 (de) 1976-08-12

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